We don’t see the large boilers in the area we are in – they are forward of where we are. What we image happens is that heavy oil is burned producing a flame that heats up large pots of water to the boiling point. This produces steam. Think of a tea kettle on a stove.
The steam is routed via insulated pipes to the actual pistons that make the paddlewheel turn. There are 2 pistons and the steam pushes against the front of the piston and then is routed to the back of the piston to push it back the way it just came.
THEN, that same steam is routed across the engine room to the 2nd, larger piston. The steam pushes against one side of the piston and then the other to produce a forward and backward motion of this piston also. The piston is connected to a rod that then turns the paddlewheel.
After the steam leaves the second piston it is routed back to a tank where it turns back into water to be heated again.
Fascinating? I know!
2 comments:
Yes, it's fascinating!! But you know me.
Greetings from another river: I'm camped on the shores of the mighty Columbia.
Tim
We have not heard from you since Friday. What's up on the river? And on the DQ?
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